Ultrasonic imaging is widely used in a variety of fields including, for example, the medical field. In the medical field, ultrasonic imaging has found widespread use in applications including, for example, imaging physiological structures and tissue such as organs, tumors, vessels, and the like. In such applications it is often desirable for a physician or technician to have an image of a medical device which has been inserted in the tissue or passageway of a patient. A variety of approaches have been used to enhance the ultrasonic imaging of devices by increasing the acoustic reflection coefficient of the devices. Such approaches include, for example, attempts to alter the surface of the device by altering the geometry of the surface, increasing surface roughness, and fabricating surfaces which may entrap gas.
A few reports of echogenic devices and materials with echogenic and/or porous properties have appeared in the art, some examples of which may be found in the patents and publications listed in Table 1 below.
TABLE 1Patents and PublicationsPatent/Publication No.Inventor(s)Issue/Publication DateU.S. Pat. No. 6,106,473Violante et al.Aug. 22, 2000U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,676Davis et al.Jan. 25, 2000U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,933Sarkis et al.Jul. 13, 1999U.S. Pat. No. 5,792,445Tournier et al.Aug. 11, 1998U.S. Pat. No. 5,759,154HoynsJun. 2, 1998U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,478Osborne et al.Apr. 21, 1998U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,606QuayJan. 13, 1998U.S. Pat. No. 5,688,490Tournier et al.Nov. 18, 1997U.S. Pat. No. 5,668,188Whinnery et al.Sep. 16, 1997U.S. Pat. No. 5,383,466PartikaJan. 24, 1995U.S. Pat. No. 5,370,901Tournier et al.Dec. 6, 1994U.S. Pat. No. 5,327,891RammlerJul. 12, 1994U.S. Pat. No. 5,289,831BosleyMar. 1, 1994U.S. Pat. No. 5,201,314Bosley et al.Apr. 13, 1993U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,997Bosley, Jr. et al.Jan. 21, 1992U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,259ElkinsSep. 26, 1989U.S. Pat. No. 4,805,628Fry et al.Feb. 21, 1989U.S. Pat. No. 4,594,207Josefiak et al.Jun. 10, 1986U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,061FryApr. 15, 1986U.S. Pat. No. 4,207,901NigamJun. 17, 1980WO 98/19713Violante et al.May 14, 1998
All patents and publications listed in Table 1 above are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their respective entireties. As those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate readily upon reading the Summary of the Invention, Detailed Description of the Preferred Embodiments, and Claims set forth below, many of the devices, materials, and methods disclosed in the patents and publications of Table 1 may be modified advantageously by using the teachings of the present invention.